Counting mechanism for soles and other articles



June 1, 1937. F. E. BERTRAND 1 2, 4

COUNTING MECHANISM FOR SOLES AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Jan. 25, 1952Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COUNTING MECHANISM FORSOLES AND OTHER ARTICLES Frederic E. Bertrand, Lynn, Mass,

United Shoe Machinery Corporation,

assignor to Pater- 11 Claims.

This invention relates to counting mechanisms. Such mechanisms are oftenknown as counters, recorders, registers or, especially in the shoemachinery industry, as indicators.

The present invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine forreinforcing insoles of the type disclosed in Letters Patent No.1,726,800, granted September 3, 1929, on an application of the presentapplicant, and more particularly in Figs. 1 to 6 of that patent. Suchmachines are commonly employed in shoe manufacturing for progressivelypressing and securing a layer of cemented canvas or duck to an insoleblank or body of leather and more particularly for securl5 ing thecanvas in the inside angle formed between the insole body and the insolelip or channel flap.

Inasmuch as such a machine is often put out to the shoe-manufacturer onterms which ine volve the number of pairs of insoles which arereinforced by the use of the machine, it is important that a reliablerecord of that number be made and preserved. Accordingly, each such machine has usually been equipped with a counter operatively connected toa treadle which is depressed by the machine operator in order toseparate the feed rolls of the machine when an in sole to be reinforcedis to be inserted between said rolls, as is fully explained in saidPatent No.

Under most operating conditions, when the insole rib extends round theiorepart and through the shank of the insole but not round the heel, thetreadle of the machine is depressed only once for each insole operatedupon, with the result that the counting mechanism accurately registersthe number of pairs of insoles passing through the machine,

However, under a variety of operating conditions which sometimes existin different shoe factories, the treadle is depressed twice or more foreach insole and, indeed, there is always liability that the treadle maybe depressed either intentionally or unintentionally by the operator orsome unauthorized person when no work is being operated on orunnecessarily in the operation of the machine on work.

Moreover, after an insole has passed through the machine, it issometimes found that the canva-s has not adhered fully to the lip atsome particular place, as for an inch or two at the toe. In such a case,the operator replaces the insole in the machine and repeats thereinforcing operation along the limited portion of the insole whichneeds to be perfected or cobbled. In so replacing the insole, theoperator depresses the treadle again. Moreover, in some types of insole,the lip is carried completely around the periphery including the heelportion and, in such case, the operator depresses the treadle not onlywhen the insole is placed in the machine but also when it is removedtherefrom. In all such cases where the treadle is depressed more thanonce for each insole, the counter, when operated by the treadle as abovedescribed, registers a number which is higher than the number of pairsof insoles actually and completely reinforced by the use of the machine.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention toprovide a counting mechanism which will be adapted to be associated witha machine for operating on soles and which will register accurately thenumber of soles or pairs of soles which pass through the machine butwhich will not register when there are merely accidental or additionaldepressions of the treadle or when partial operations of the kind abovedescribed are performed.

With this object, among others, in view the invention contemplates acounting mechanism which includes a counter or register proper andconnections therefrom to a work engaging mem ber, which, in theparticular embodiment of the invention herein shown, is a roll whichco-operates in the feeding of a sole or other article through a machinein which the counting mechanism is embodied. Preferably, and as hereinshown, this feed roll is operated from the same actuator or drivingmeans that operates the counter and the connections between thisactuatcr and the feed roll include 10st motion devices, such as aninclined slot and pin, which permit limited relative movement betweenthe actuator and the roll in both a forward and in a reverse directionand which are so constructed and arranged that the counter is operatedonly after a predetermined relative movement in one direction betweenthe roll and its actuator has been completed.

While this counting mechanism is herein described, by way of example, asembodied in a machine for reinforcing insoles, the invention is likewiseadapted for use in counting other articles.

The invention will now be described in detail with the aid of theaccompanying drawing which illustrates its preferred embodiment and thenwill be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. l is a front elevation, with some parts shown in section, of aportion of an insole reinthe shaft 44 axially upward. A counter 60 of aforcing machine equipped with such a counting well-known commercial typeis operated through mechanism; connections from shaft 44 which include abar 52 Fig. 2 is a sectional plan along the line II-II fitting a groove54 in collar 56. This bar is of Fig. 1; mounted in an arm 66 of a bellcrank lever, the Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the counter and fulcrum88 of which is journaled in a bracket some of its operating mechanism;projecting downwardly from a cover 72 screwed to Fig. 4 is a similarview of a detail of said mecha part of the carrier 36, the counter 60being also anism, and mounted on the bracket 1!]. The second arm 14 10Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the connection beof the bell crank levercarries a spring pressed tw en wo a s forming a p t f t e feedi g pawl16 which engages a ratchet wheel 78 mountmechanism. ed for free rotationco-axially with the fulcrum As already indicated, the illustratedreinforcing B8 of the bell crank lever. This ratchet wheel has machine,like that shown in said Patent No. twenty teeth 80 and has fixed to itsouter face a 1,726,800, comprises a pair of feed rolls 20, 22 and crankpin 82 to which is pivoted a link 84 also a pressure roll 24 whichfunctions also as a feed pivotally connected at its upper end to a pin85 in roll. The upper feed roll is carried at the end a crank arm 88clamped to the actuating shaft 90 of a horizontal driving shaft mountedin bearof the counter 60. For the purpose of the prelim ings in a a e 8S that it y be moved toinary setting up of the mechanism andspecifically 20 ward and away from the feed roll 22 which is in order toobtain a preferred angular relation fixed to the main drivingshaft 39rotatable in between the ratchet wheel 18 and the registering hearingsin the machine frame indicated at 32. wheels of the counter Bil, thisarm 88 is split, as

The pressure roll 24 with its supporting and indicated at 92, so that itmay be turned on shaft driving mechanism is mounted in a bracket 36 90and then clamped in adjusted position by a 25 which is guided formovement in a straight line screw 94. A spring pressed retaining pawl 96parallel to the axis of the main shaft 30. The prevents movement of theratchet Wheel in a insole to be reinforced having a layer of canvasdirection opposite to that indicated by the arrow laid thereon isinserted with its lip or rib and in Fig, 3. the margin of the canvasbetween the feed rolls It is considered desirable to employ a counter 20and 22 and with the opposite face of the insole which will register upto approximately one milnext to the pressure roll 24. To facilitate thelion pairs of insoles but it is not important to insertion of theinsole, the machine is provided register less than ten pairs. Moreover,a counter W a treadle by Which the feed 1 0 may be with six registeringwheels is substantially more moved pw rdly and the pressure roll 24 maybe expensive than one with five such wheels. Hence,

moved laterally away from the feed roll 22, as applicant finds itconvenient to employ a counter u ly explained in said Patent No.1,726,800. with only five wheels, and, therefore, showing Under usualconditions, these three feed rolls only five digits and to stamp a zeroin line with are Positively driven fl'em a u t ble Source of thesedigits on the frame of the counter as indip w t r a e at s an ially hame p riphcated at at in Fig. 3. Accordingly, assuming Lil eral speedbut, according to the present inven* that the counter is originally setto register zero,

tion as already outlined, provision is made thereafter the digit 1 onthe right wheel, as inthrough a lost motion connection between theheated in Fig, 3, will appear only after the pressure roll and itsdriving mechanism or actuaratchet wheel 18 has made one completerotation tor for a limited forward and reverse relative which will beafter ten pairs of insoles have been movement between the pressure rolland said acfed through the machine. Moreover, the highest tuator andsuch relative movement in one direcnumber that this counter willregister will be tion or the other is utilized to cause the counter999,990. Obviously, however, other types and to registerh m a i for t usactuat ng sizes of counters can be used in carrying out this thepressure roll includes a shaft 34 which may be i v ntio considered asthe actuator and which is rotatable Although the manner in which thepresent in the carrier 35 as in the machine of said patcountingmechanism operates has been indicated ent. Fixed at one end of the shaftis a bevel gear in the course of the above detailed description 38meshing with another bevel gear 40 fixed on thereof, it will now be setforth briefly. or formed as a part of a driving sleeve 42 sur- Ofcourse, the machine may be started and rounding a shaft 44 rotatably andaxially movable stopped, if desired, for each insole passing through rin the carrier 36. This shaft has, at its upper the machine but mostoperators prefer to have end as shown in Fig. 5, a tongue 46 which has athe machine, including rolls 20, 22, and 24, run sliding fit in a slot41 at the lower end of a shaft continuously while a large number ofinsoles 48 to the upper end of which the pressure roll 24 successivelyoperated upon. Just before insertis fixed, this shaft 48 being mountedfor rotary ing an insole in the machine, the operator, by debut for noother movement relative to the carrier pressing a treadle, moves rolls20 and 24 away 36. Projecting radially from the shaft 44 is a from roll22 and then places the lip of the insole, pin or roll 50 which has arunning fit in a slightly with its layer of reinforcing canvas, betweenthe inclined cam slot 52 in the driving sleeve 42. A rolls 2!) and 22with the feather lying against the sleeve 42 and at its lower end to acollar 56 sethe insole toward the pressure roll 24. Upon recured toshaft 44 tends to maintain the roll 50 at leasing the treadle, springscause the rolls 2!] the lower end of the slot 52, as shown in Fig. 1,and 24 to move toward roll 22 to grip the insole but, when sufiicientresistance to the rotation of with a substantial but yielding pressuretending H ing back on the insole, as below explained, the as these rollsare rotating at full speed, whereas actuator 34, which operates to turngear 40 in a the operator is holding the insole in her hand or counterclockwise direction, will cause the roll hands and must make sure thatthe lip and 50 to move to the opposite end of the cam slot 52 feather ofthe insole are located in just the proper coil spring 54 connected atits upper end to the end face of roll 22 and with the leather base of Iroll 24 is applied by the machine operator in holdto feed the insoleforwardly. Inasmuch, however,

against the resistance of spring 54 and thus move position between therolls, the operator holds back on the insole at first so that there is aconsiderable slippage of all three of these rolls with relation to theinsole. Moreover, by reason of the pin and slot connection 56, 52, whichconstitutes a lost motion device, the roll 2 1 will slip rotativelyrelative to the rolls 2E1 and 22, and the shaft 44 will turn forwardlymore slowly than the sleeve 42, at the same time winding up the springso that the shaft 44 will move axially and upwardly and so that theupper, or left, end of slot 52 will finally be brought against the pinor roll 59, after which the shafts 4 land 48, and the roll 24, as wellas rolls 2e and 22, will be positively driven forwardly by their drivingmocha-- nism until the insole is removed from between the feed rolls.The distance that the margin of the insole will be fed forwardly,against the force exerted by the operator tending to hold it back,before the upper end of slot 52 comes into engagement with pin willdepend on various factors, such as the length of of spring 55, theposition of roll it relative to roll 20, the degree of inward pressureof the roll 24 against the sole and the skill of the operator incorrectly and quickly locating the insole in proper position between therolls, but applicant has found that the objects of the invention aresuccessfully attained by so proportioning these machine parts that themargin of the insole shall be fed forward a linear distance of not overfive inches before the end of the slot 5?. enga es the pin and with suchan adjustment the counter Gil will be operated only once for each insolewhich passes through the machine even when insoles suitable for thesmallest sizes of shoes are operated on, but this distance may besubstantially varied without impairing the accuracy of the count.

By the time that the end of the slot 52 has thus come into engagementwith the pin 50, the pawl '16 will have moved idly clockwise, asillustrated in Fig. 3, from engagement with the radial face of one toothof ratchet wheel 18 into a position between the radial faces of the nexttwo teeth.

, Indeed, to compensate for wear, backlash and other possibleirregularities, it is desirable to have the pawl move at this point inthe cycle a distance considerably more than that between the radialfaces of two adjacent teeth but this movement must be less than thedistance between one tooth and the second tooth beyond.

When the operation upon the insole has been finished and upon theremoval of the insole from the machine, the resistance to the rotationof roll 24 in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow inFig. 1 will have been removed and the roll with its shaft and shaft Mwill be turned in a reverse direction with relation to the sleeve 42 byspring 54 so that the slot 52 moves over the pin 50 until the lattercomes into engagement with the lower or right end of the slot, asindicated in Fig. 1. This relative rotary movement will move the shaft Maxially and downwardly and cause the pawl 16 to turn the ratchet 18 adistance equal to the pitch of the ratchet teeth, viz. 18. When thisoperation has been repeated and a total of twenty insoles or ten pairshave been operated on, the unit registering wheel of the counter will beturned one step so that ten pairs will be registered by the counter.

Furthermore, in the practical use of the present machine it has beenfound that when a partial or cobbling operation of the character abovedescribed is performed the linear travel of the insole is substantiallyless than five inches so that the slot, the strength the pin 50 travelsso short a distance along the slot 52 that the pawl 16 in its idlemovement will travel less than the distance between two successive teethon the ratchet wheel 18 and, therefore, the counter will not registersuch a partial operation.

Moreover, it is evident that for the proper operation of this countingmechanism there must be a limited relative rotation alternately inopposite directions between the shaft 44, connected to the pressure roll24, and the sleeve 42, positively geared to the feed roll 22, and thatthis relative rotation occurs in one direction at the beginning of anoperation on an insole when the peripheral surface of the roll 24travels more slowly than the peripheral surface of the roll 22 and inthe other direction just as or after the insole has been removed fromthe machine when the roll 24 travels faster than roll 22.

Having thus indicated the object and nature of the invention and havingdescribed in detail one embodiment of it, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a sole machine, a pair of feed rolls and a pressure roll, allnormally operated at substantially the same peripheral speed, incombination with a shaft to which the pressure roll is fixed, a secondshaft rotatable with but movable axially relatively to said first shaft,power driving means for said pressure roll including a sleevesurrounding said second shaft, a pin and inclined slot connectionbetween the latter and said sleeve through which relative rotation ofsaid second shaft and said sleeve alternately in opposite directionseffects axial movements in opposite directions of said second shaft, acounter for registering the number of pairs of soles passing through themachine, and connections from said second shaft to the counter throughwhich said axial movements operate the counter.

2. In a sole machine, a pair of feed rolls and a pressure roll, allnormally operated at substantially the same peripheral speed, incombination with means for driving the pressure roll which permits alimited movement of that roll relative to said feed rolls, said meansincluding an axially movable shaft, a pin thereon and a part having aninclined slot in which the pin travels, a counter, and connectionsbetween the latter and said shaft for operating the counter while suchlimited movement is taking place and for thereby registering the numberof soles passing through the machine 3. In a machine for performing anoperation on a piece of work, the combination of a work engaging member,a counter, and means for driving said member and for operating saidcounter, including. a shaft, a pin thereon and a part having an inclinedslot cooperating with the pin so constructed and arranged that saidcounter is operated only while the pin is moving along the slot.

l. In a machine for performing an operation on a piece of work, thecombination of a work feeding member, an actuator and connections fromsaid actuator to said member which permit relative movement between saidactuator and said member and through which said member is oper ated tofeed the work, said connections including a sleeve provided with aninclined slot and an axially movable shaft having a projecting pinlocated in and arranged to travel along said slot, a counter, andco-operating connections between said counter and said shaft throughwhich the counter is operated only during said relative movement.

(iii

5. In a machine for performing an operation on a piece of work, thecombination of a. work engaging member, an actuator and connections fromsaid actuator to said member which connections include two co-operatingelements movable alternately in opposite directions both rotatively andaxially with relation one to the other and which connections firstpermit limited rela tive movement between said actuator and said memberand then cause them to be driven synchronously, a counter, and operatingconnections between the latter and one of said co-operating elements soconstructed and arranged that the counter is operated during saidrelative axial movement in one direction but is not operated during saidsynchronous driving.

6. In a machine for performing an operation the combination of a worknections from said actuator to said member including a sleeve providedwith a cam slot and a shaft having a projecting pin located in andarranged to travel along said slot which connections permit limitedrelative forward and reverse movements alternately between said actuatorand said member, a counter, and operating connections including a pawland ratchet between the counter and said shaft so constructed andarranged that the counter is operated only while said pin is travelingalong said slot in one direction.

7. In a machine for performing an operation on a piece of work, thecombination of a -work feeding member, a counter, and driving means forboth said member and said counter including an axially movable shaft, apin thereon, a part aving an inclined slot co-operating with said pinduring relative forward and reverse movement between said pin and saidpart, said driving means for the counter including a spring and otherconnections between said counter and said shaft.

8. In a mechanism for counting pieces of work, the combination of a workfeeding member, a counter, and actuating mechanism for both said memberand said counter including a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a pin andcam slot connection and a spring between said two shafts to perandrelative axial movement alternately in opposite directions between saidfeeding member and said driving shaft, said movement taking place in onedirection against the resistance of said spring and in the otherdirection through the force of said spring.

9. In a machine for performing an operation on a piece of work, thecombination of a work feeding m mber, a counter, a shaft operativelyconnected to said member and to said counter, and means for rotating theshaft and for moving it axially to operate both said member and saidcounter.

10. In a machine for performing an operation on a piece of work, thecombination of a work feeding roll, a shaft from which the roll isdriven, a pin projecting from said shaft, a sleeve having an inclinedslot along which said pin is movable, means for rotating sleeve andthereby imparting axial movement to said shaft, a spring connecting saidshaft and sleeve and tending to hold said pin at one end of the slot, acounter, and connections therefrom to said shaft through which thecounter is operated during an axial movement of said shaft.

11. In a counting mechanism, the combination of a work feeding roll, ashaft to which the roll is fixed, a second shaft rotatable with butmovable axially relatively to said first shaft, a pin projecting fromsaid second shaft, driving sleeve surrounding said second shaft andhaving therein a cam slot along which said pin travels, a springconnecting said second shaft and said sleeve and tending to hold the pinat one end of the slot, a counter, and connections including a pawl andratchet between the counter and said second shaft so constructed andarranged that the counter is operated through said spring only duringthe travel of the pin toward the said end of the slot.

FREDERIC E. BERTRAND.

